


Daddy's Girl

by gray_autumn_sky



Series: Set in Storybrooke, Canon Divergent [28]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Cherish The Peanut Week, F/M, Peanut is called Ember in this fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-21
Updated: 2018-07-21
Packaged: 2019-06-13 18:01:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15370215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gray_autumn_sky/pseuds/gray_autumn_sky
Summary: Peanut is her father's daughter, complete with a penchant for theft.





	Daddy's Girl

From the very start Ember has been a Daddy’s Girl.

The first time Regina saw her—bundled up in a pink blanket, eyes wide with wonder as she took in the world—she thought she looked like Robin. Of course she knew that Robin’s daughter would look like him, that there would be similarities and shared traits, but she’d been taken aback—and admittedly relieved—by how much the girl favored her father. From her bright blue, soulful eyes to her sweet dimpled cheeks to the wisps of blonde tucked beneath the pink knit cap, she was definitely her father’s daughter.

On her first night home, Regina had awoken to find the spot beside her empty. She’d gotten out of bed and padded down the hall to find him in Ember’s nursery, holding her against his chest. His hand seemed so large as it rubbed comforting circles against her little back, soothing her cries and lulling her back to sleep. His eyes were hooded and it was clear that he was exhausted, but he continued to rock her long after she was asleep and there was a faint but content smile etched onto his lips—she’d smiled too and her heart swelled, knowing that he had fallen in love.

Ember’s first word was “da-da.” They’d been in the kitchen together—she and Ember—and she’d been bouncing her on her hip, dancing around the kitchen as they put away dishes when it happened. Robin had walked in to the room, smiling at the two of them and Ember had turned her head to look athim, her blue eyes smiling and she’d pointed her little finger at him and said it. And it was musical. Robin’s eyes had widened and Regina hugged her a little closer, and when he’d held out his hands to her she’d reached out to him and said it again. It surprised no one that a few weeks later her first steps were steps toward him, just as she refuses to sleep if he doesn’t tuck her in and sing to her; and it surprises no one that Ember has her da-da wrapped around her little finger.

As grows older, she reminds Regina more and more of Robin. She’s often amused by the way Ember furrows her brow when she doesn’t quite understand something and her proud, confident smile when she finally catches on—because her expressions are just so much like her father’s. She’s less amused that her daughter has also inherited her father’s daringness and desire for adventure—and she’s reminded of that every time Ember climbs atop the table, her knees wobbling as she smiles victoriously and claps her hands or when she leaps from the porch, giggling wildly as she flies forward and lands on the soft grass. And when Regina scoops her up into her arms she cuddles close to her, reassuring her mother with sweet smiles and sloppy kisses.

Ember is very much a daddy’s girl—truly her father’s daughter—his spitting image, the apple of his eye, just a smaller version of him. So, it shouldn’t comes as a shock to her when they’re shopping one day and while Regina is distracted, picking out supplies for Henry’s science project, when little hands reach from the stroller, selecting a stuffed giraffe and pulling it quickly into the stroller. They wander up and down the aisles and it happens again and again—and again and again, it goes unnoticed. When they arrive at the checkout, Regina loads the craft supplies onto the counter, smiling politely as the cashier bags them and hands her the receipt; and when the sensors start to beep, she assumes there’s a mistake. Fishing the receipt out of her purse, she hands it to the employee—he takes and and peers into the bags—and then Ember giggles and Regina wonders.

Peeling back the top of the stroller, she groans—a myriad of toys surrounds Ember. The employee’s eyebrow juts upward and he looks at Regina, who only sighs and shakes her head.

“We’ll…be putting these back,” Regina murmurs, slightly indignant as she scoops up an arm full of dolls and puzzles, an echoing microphone and a plastic lizard, and hands them off to the employee.

Ember giggles, turning her blue eyes upward to meet Regina’s, batting her eyelashes as she hugs a giraffe that’s about the same size as she is. “Gerry,” she says, petting her hand over the elongated neck. Regina can’t help but smile at her.

“Gerry the Giraffe,” she begins, looking at the employee who is still staring at her skeptically with an arched eyebrow. “Will be coming home with us.” She reaches into her purse and pulls out a twenty, and tentatively the employee takes it. “Keep the change,” she says curtly, turning on her heels and pushing the stroller out of the store.

When they reach the car, Regina pulls Ember from the stroller and Ember clutches Gerry, grinning broadly as she nuzzles her face against the giraffe’s head. And Regina sighs and shakes her head, but she also smiles as she murmurs, “A thief—just like your father.”


End file.
